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USA community meets Dr. Arthur Ross, third and final presidential candidate (photos)

Dr. Arthur J. Ross III, dean of the School of Medicine at West Virginia University, discusses his candidacy for the University's presidency at a public forum at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center at the University of South Alabama on Monday Oct. 28, 2013.(Sharon Steinmann/ssteinmann@al.com)

MOBILE, Alabama – Dr. Arthur J. Ross III, the last of the three finalists selected by the University of South Alabama’s Presidential Search Committee, met with students and faculty in a public forum on Monday at Laidlaw Performing Arts Center on campus.

The theater provided a more intimate setting than the two previous forums, held in USA’s Mitchell Center. The forum was moved to Laidlaw because of a scheduling conflict at Mitchell. About 250 attended the afternoon session.

Moulton retired July 1 after 15 years as USA’s president. Since then, John W. Smith has served as the university’s acting president.

Ross, dean of the School of Medicine at West Virginia University, began his session by paying tribute to Moulton and offering condolences to the university community. Moulton accomplished a great deal during his tenure at USA, Ross noted, including fundraising, nurturing strong relationships with the community and developing a strategic plan.

“There are periods of time when there are opportunities for a quantum leap,” Ross said, adding that the university was uniquely poised to take a big step forward in terms of raising its national and global profile.

Accessibility, affordability and accountability are key to taking USA to the next level, Ross told the audience. “It’s a terrific journey to make,” he said. “I would expect the next president will have a lot of fun taking that journey with you.”

Ross was relaxed enough during the session to give the audience a preview of his leadership style. Several times he took the microphone into the audience and handed it to a faculty member or student, asking, “What do you think?” and starting a dialogue as part of his response to a question.

Doug Marshall, president of USA’s Faculty Senate and a member of the presidential search committee, opened the forum by asking Ross to describe his vision for the university’s future. The candidate responded that he sees USA becoming an integral part of many of the multinational companies that have set up shop in the area in recent years. “There is a community business need and a university with great expertise,” he said. “You can put your stamp on that.”

Marshall also asked Ross about the relationship between the university’s academic and health care sectors, and Ross said that improving cross-collaboration among all of USA’s colleges and departments was crucial. “We’re seeing a changing paradigm” in health sciences, he said. In the new, emerging health-care market, more emphasis will be placed on quality and value of care, rather than the volume of patients, he predicted. “That’s where the revenue is going to flow.”

In response to Marshall’s question about how a typical faculty member’s life would be like at USA in the coming years, Ross sought to reassure the audience that he was not a micromanager, saying he relied on the university’s vice presidents to work with their respective deans to make sure that faculty members were setting and achieving goals and working productively in research and in the classroom. “As president, I would try to serve the university by providing the vice presidents and deans with the tools they need to accomplish those things,” he said. He also said that he favored evaluations “from above and below.”

In response to another question about faculty evaluation and tenure, Ross said, “Tenure is one of the most sacred components of what a life in the university is all about, but most faculty members would agree that tenure doesn’t mean, ‘I don’t have to do anything else.’”

Dr. William Richard, professor and chairman of the USA Department of Surgery, asked Ross to name his favorite charity; Ross replied, given his belief in the importance of giving back to one’s community, that he supported the United Way. He and his wife, Kathy, are also strong supporters of West Virginia University, he said.

Richard also asked Ross about which news sources he relied on regularly, and Ross said he read The Wall Street Journal and The Chronicle for Higher Education each day, and also checked in frequently on the CNN and ESPN websites. He especially relies on the Chronicle and ESPN for updates on NCAA issues, he added.

“I follow very carefully with what’s going on with the NCAA and the responsibility of the college to the athlete … and also with some of the difficult compliance issues,” said Ross, who was a three-sport athlete at Trinity College.

In response to a question about how the university can remain competitive in the era of online universities, Ross replied that while online courses can be a lifeline to some learners, “as long as we have universities like this and as long as (students) have time to take opportunities for group and team learning, there’s a huge added value to that.”

He took a longer look at different learning styles after being asked about the importance of student involvement in campus life. “Let’s not forget that students are our customers,” he said. “… If you don’t give the students the opportunity to take on leadership roles, you’re depriving them of a huge potential opportunity. Education on a residential campus is 24 hours a day -- what they learn from their professors and what they learn from each other.”

“All educators need to appreciate that students have different learning styles,” he said.

Ross’s session ran long as he took time to answer a wide range of questions, including ideas for improving the university’s retention rate; the importance of the humanities courses; and how to raise USA’s national profile.

Overall, Ross came across as a candidate who thrives on a university atmosphere of learning and debate.

“I think that every faculty member would say that doing what we do is a privilege,” he told the audience. “I’m grateful for it every day.”

The two other finalists, Jerome A Gilbert and Sheri Noren Everts, met with the board and the public on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, respectively. The Board of Trustees' next meeting is Nov. 6, according to Dr. Steve Furr of the presidential search committee.